Chapter 7 (Prologue): Enter, the Third Kazekage
Short Summary Long Summary Chelia rushes over to Lyon, and is able to detect a faint pulse. Deidara allows her to heal the armless Wizard, and looks towards his other targets (Sakura and the injured). Before he and Sasori can mop them up, Erza and Kagura arrive, saying that they won’t allow them to touch the injured. Sasori recognizes Erza and expresses delight, saying she’ll soon be a part of his collection. Deidara also deems Kagura a canvas worthy of an artist’s touch. When Erza inquires into Sasori’s words, he explains that he kills people for his collection of human puppets, and that he was eager to get his hands on powerful individuals from each world. When he continues by claiming Natsu will be one of those, Erza angrily replies that he’ll never touch her, or Natsu. Sasori responds by claiming she has no choice, and then leaves his Hiruko shell. He states that Hiruko wasn’t fit to fight Erza and opts for something stronger. When Erza asks who he is, Sasori proclaims himself to be the world’s greatest puppet master, who turned the sands red and created eternal beauty, Sasori of the Red Sand. Sakura warns Erza of the puppets’ combat capabilities and that they’re laced with poison. Sasori chastises Sakura for rudely revealing his secrets and decides to end the fight quickly with his favorite work of art. Erza asks Kagura to take care of Deidara while she handles Sasori. The puppet master reveals his strongest puppet, the Third Kazekage, much to Sakura’s horror as she recalls destroying it. Sakura reveals this information, causing Erza to ask if he truly killed a Kage, who she vaguely remembered as village leaders. Sasori gleefully recalls the honor of having the Hidden Sand’s strongest come after him, claiming that it was a tough fight that required his best, ending in victory. When Erza angrily asks if he killed his own leader, Sasori dismisses this by saying he was no longer loyal to the Hidden Sand. Erza’s rage continues to build, yelling about betrayal and asking if he had honor. Sasori replies that all he cares about is eternal beauty in his art. As Sasori readies his puppet, Sakura warns Erza that human puppets keep any powers they had in life. Sasori starts with using the puppet to bring out the Iron Sand to float around it, at the ready. Sakura yells that Erza can’t let the sand touch her, since its magnetism will stop her movements, due to her armor, and form many deadly weapons. Sasori responds that this was reason the Third was feared as the strongest Kazekage. Erza charges with Flight Armor, deciding that she needs to be fast enough to dodge. Iron Sand gets blasted, with Erza easily evading it while realizing the puppet needs to be taken out first. She zooms right in front of it and slashes at it, only to be blocked by a hidden buzz saw. When Erza expresses surprise, Sasori mocks her for not understanding that the puppet would be heavily armed. Unfortunately, that attack put Erza in range of Sasori’s Iron Sand: Scattered Shower. Just before it could hit, Erza changes into Adamantine Armor to tank the shots. While she remains undamaged, she assures Sasori he won’t get another opening, but the rogue ninja claims the sand did its job. Erza has been rendered immobile, and all her metal armors are effectively useless. Erza then opts to prioritize speed and power, requipping into the Robe of Yūen. Sasori then shocks Erza with the Iron Sand: Gathering, combining the sand into 3-D shapes. The shapes then move to crush or impale her. Erza is able to dodge, but Sasori is confident she can’t keep this up, seeing her as a fine addition to his collection. She struggles to block a pyramid, when a cube drops on her. Kagura is outside, facing Deidara on his clay bird. She’s exhausted from constantly dodging bombs and hears a crash, causing her to worry about Erza. Deidara taunts her by claiming that Sasori’s stronger than him, meaning Erza’s doomed. Kagura replies in her confidence in Erza and in herself, claiming they’ll never lose to people like him and his partner. Deidara responds by asking for her to be a better challenge than the last wizard. Kagura thinks that Deidara has the upper hand, due to his long-ranged specialty. She then decides to use her Gravity Change Magic. Sasori claims victory, but Erza roars out of the dust, wearing her Nakagami Armor. She swiftly decapitates the Third Kazekage and pins down Sasori by the throat. When Sasori expresses confusion, Erza explains the sheer power and strength required for the armor, which hasn’t been wielded for ten years. This stuns Chelia and Sakura. Deidara begins to feel the effects of Kagura’s Gravity Change, shouting in confusion at the heaviness. Kagura chastises him for being distracted. She leaps and slashes the bomber with Archenemy, forcing him off the clay bird. The chapter ends with Erza and Kagura proclaiming that they were underestimated, and that they gain strength from defending their comrades and that is what it means to be part of a guild. Appearing Characters Lyon Vastia Chelia Blendy Sakura Haruno Deidara Sasori Erza Scarlet Kagura Mikazuchi Abilities Jutsu * Iron Sand ** Iron Sand: Scattered Shower ** Iron Sand: Gathering Magic * Flight Armor * Adamantine Armor * Robe of Yūen * Gravity Change * Nakagami Armor Puppets * Hiruko * Third Kazekage Previous/Next Chapter Previous Chapter: Chapter 6 (Prologue): Artistic Clash Next Chapter: Chapter 8 (Prologue): The Tide of BattleCategory:Summit Invasion Arc Category:Chapters Category:Prologue